outage

American  

[ou-tij] / ˈaʊ tɪdʒ /

noun

1. an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity.

2. the period during which power is lost.

   a two-hour outage on the East Coast.

3. a stoppage in the functioning of a machine or mechanism due to a failure in the supply of power or electricity.

4. the quantity of goods lost or lacking from a shipment.

5. Aeronautics. the amount of fuel used during a flight.

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outage British  

/ ˈaʊtɪdʒ /

noun

1. a quantity of goods missing or lost after storage or shipment

2. a period of power failure, machine stoppage, etc

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Etymology

Origin of outage

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; out + -age

Example Sentences

“The scale of the outage and the sheer number of disabled traffic lights were the primary contributors to city-wide gridlock,” Waymo said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her complex has a power generator in the basement, where her family charges phones and other devices during outages.

From The Wall Street Journal

Officials warned that power outages and traffic signal failures are also possible, and additional closures are likely.

From Los Angeles Times

Dolhachova said power outages often mean her students cannot study in online classes.

From Barron's

A power outage External link in San Francisco on Sunday left about 130,000 homes and businesses in the dark.

From Barron's

Related Words

• blackout
• brownout
• disruption
• interruption